Abstract
Background
Infant adiposity is linked to both high maternal fat mass (FM) and excessive gestational FM gain, whereas the association with maternal adipokines is less clear. The aim was to determine how levels of maternal leptin, the soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R), adiponectin, and FM during pregnancy were linked to infant FM in normal-weight (NW) women and women with obesity (OB).
Methods
Body composition and serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, and sOB-R were determined three times during pregnancy in 80 NW and 46 OB women. For infants, body composition was measured at 1 and 12 weeks of age.
Results
Maternal leptin and sOB-R levels increased during pregnancy. For NW women, infant FM at 1 week was inversely associated with changes in maternal leptin and at 12 weeks inversely associated with absolute maternal sOB-R levels throughout pregnancy, as well as changes in sOB-R levels in early pregnancy. For OB women, infant FM at both 1 and 12 weeks were best explained by maternal FM.
Conclusions
Leptin and sOB-R, thought to regulate leptin bioavailability, are associated with fat accumulation in infants born to NW women. In OB women, maternal FM in early pregnancy is more important than leptin in determining infant fat accumulation.
Impact
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In normal-weight women, the regulation of maternal leptin bioavailability during pregnancy has a role in infant fat mass accumulation.
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In women with obesity, however, pre-pregnancy maternal fat mass seems more important for infant fat mass.
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This is the first study of maternal adipokines and fat mass including longitudinal measurements in both mothers and their children.
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Understanding the relationship between maternal factors and infant fat mass is of great importance as obesity is programmed over the generations, and it is important to learn what regulates this programming.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all participating women of the PONCH study, and registered dietician Evelina Järvinen for expert care and measurements during study visits. This work was supported by grants from the Emil and Wera Cornell Foundation, the Swedish Research Council (12206), the Swedish Diabetes Association Research Foundation (2015-08), and the Swedish state under the agreement between the Swedish government and the country councils, the ALF-agreement (ALF-GBG-720851, 719041 and 812951).
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Conception, data acquisition, or data analysis and interpretation: U.K.A.-H., A.P., H.K.d.M., J.P.S., and A.B.H. Drafting or revising article for intellectual content: U.K.A.-H., E.C.M., K.G.A.-W., and A.B.H. Final appoval of article: U.K.A.-H., A.P., H.K.d.M., J.P.S., E.C.M., K.G.A.-W., and A.B.H.
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The study was approved by the ethics committee at the University of Gothenburg (Dnr 402-08). Informed written consent was obtained from all women participating in the study. Both parents received oral and written information about the study and gave informed written consent before enrollment of their children.
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Andersson-Hall, U.K., Pivodic, A., de Maré, H.K. et al. Infant body composition relationship to maternal adipokines and fat mass: the PONCH study. Pediatr Res 89, 1756–1764 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-01115-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-01115-9
